Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has responded to former President Olusegun Obasanjo over allegations that he bribed the late former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Na’Abba, to orchestrate moves to impeach him while they were in office, accusing the former president of exploiting the memory of a deceased statesman for political purposes.
In a statement issued on Friday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku described Obasanjo’s claims as “a desperate attempt to rewrite history” and influence the political landscape ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Titled “The grave is not a witness box,” the statement argued that it was fundamentally unfair to make allegations involving Na’Abba after his death, when he could no longer respond or defend his reputation.
“As Africans, we understand the solemn duty of speaking truthfully about the dead. It is therefore deeply troubling that former President Obasanjo has chosen this moment to allege that I gave the late Rt Hon Ghali Umar Na’Abba a bribe to impeach him.
“If this allegation were true, why did he never make it while Rt Hon Na’Abba was alive? Why wait until the only man who could confirm or refute the claim has departed this world?” Atiku asked.
